Summer Suiting

The great British Summer, such as it is, requires a versatile wardrobe as we can no more guarantee a heatwave than we can predict a cold snap, seemingly; but no one ever moved here for the weather…

But with a little preparation, arranging your Summer wardrobe should be as enjoyable an exercise as pulling out one’s Winter warmers in the colder months.

Wool

Broadly, there are two types of wool to consider when planning your sartorial wardrobe: those that trap air against you in order to keep you warm, such as flannel and tweed and those that are designed to release heat, such as plain weaves or panama.

Woollens

Woollen cloths are those with a raised surface (nap), which resemble a woollen jumper, such as flannel or tweed. Air is trapped in the nap which our body heats and in turn insulates us: just as we are insulated inside a wetsuit when water is trapped between the body and the neoprene.

Worsteds

Broadly workaday cloths associated with business or formal suits, such as herringbone, birdseye, twill, chalk or pin stripe, nailhead, Prince of Wales check etc.

Plain Weave

Crisp, dry cloths which are woven with a mesh-like weave so as to release heat from the body, such as panama weave or Fresco which was patented by Hardy Minnis in 1903 and was designed as the first crease resistant cloth, usually constructed of a 2ply yarn.

Cotton

Whilst cotton is considered a Summer cloth useful for shirts, chinos, shorts and of course suits, anyone who has worn a cotton suit in the sun will attest that they can actually be quite warm. The benefit of cotton suiting is that it does not insulate as wool does, but it is most often woven in the same way as a worsted twill and, ergo, will trap heat against the body as opposed releasing heat.

Linen

Linen flax, which linen cloth is woven from absorbs moisture and wicks heat away from the body, similar to Gore-Tex. This is why it is such a fantastic Summer cloth, in spite it’s inherent creasing: no one ever complains about their chinos or shorts creasing, or indeed their worsted wool suit in quite the same way.

Seersucker

Historically a lightweight striped cotton cloth woven using a method called slack-tension weaving, whereby the yarn of the white stripe is looser than the coloured stripe. This creates a crinkled cloth that not only stands-away from the body thus increasing air circulation, but is ideal for those with an aversion to creasing as any creasing is almost invisible.

However, if it is a Wedding Suit which you are in need of and you are getting married on a farm with no shade and in the height of Summer, then we strongly recommend Tweed: if the suit fits..

Photo @kittywsphoto